


Home is where the heart is

by pinkamour1588



Series: Home is where the heart is [1]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Breakfast, Comfort, Coughing, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Drunkenness, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Grocery Shopping, Illnesses, Insecurity, Kissing, M/M, Masturbation, Mentions of Death, Nervousness, Newborn Children, Parenthood, Romance, Shopping, Single Parents, Sneezing, Temper Tantrums, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 08:01:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11482083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkamour1588/pseuds/pinkamour1588
Summary: Modern!AU Single dads Leonard and Jim and the road to falling in love.





	Home is where the heart is

**Author's Note:**

> Previously posted on my tumblr account.

_“If it comes to it, who do you want us to focus on? Her or the  
baby?” the doctor asked_

_“The baby,” she answered without a second thought._

_“No. No, we can get pregnant again,” Jim said desperately._

_“They have a better chance, Jim.”_

_“No, Ellie.”_

_“I’ve made my decision.”_

_He stared back at his wife in utter shock and horror. “What about Izzy?” he whispered._

_“She has you.”_

_“She needs you too.”_

_“Jim, the baby has a better chance of survival if worse comes to worst. I love you. And I love Izzy. But we have to be realistic.”_

_He bit his bottom lip and nodded, leaning down and kissing her before she was taken to the operating room._

_And then forty minutes later, the doctor came and told him the words he feared the most. “She’s gone.”_

_She’s gone._ The words rang through Jim’s head as he tossed and turned in the too empty bed. He scrubbed a hand over his face and stared at the ceiling, utterly exhausted. He looked over at the crib in the corner of the room and his chest clenched when a small cry came from within it. He dragged himself out of bed, walking over to the crib.

“Hey, Elise,” he murmured at the four-month-old as he picked her up, holding her to his chest as he checked her diaper. “You hungry?” He glanced at the time and sighed. Six-thirty in the goddamn morning. He adjusted his hold on her as he walked down the hall to the kitchen.

Once the bottle was prepared, he sat on the couch, his feet on the coffee table as he fed her. She’d taken after Ellie. Tanned skin, dark hair and eyelashes. But her eyes. Well, Jim was grateful she didn’t get Ellie’s eyes.

~

He was woken up around nine by a three-year-old, or three-and-a-half-year-old, thank you very much, shaking him.

“Daddy,” Izzy said.

“Yes?” he mumbled blinking and looking over at her.

“I’m hungry.”

“Let’s get you something to eat then.” He made sure he had a good hold on Elise before standing and walking to the kitchen. “Which cereal?”

“Cocoa puffs,” she grinned.

“What’s the word?” He got a purple bowl out of the cabinet.

“Please.”

He smiled to himself as he fixed her a bowl of cereal. Once she was settled at the table, he took Elise back down the hall to her crib.

***

He was vaguely grateful for how much Izzy had worn him out that day because he fell asleep almost instantly when he got into bed that night. Unfortunately, he was woken up two hours later, not by a crying baby, but by Izzy tugging on his hand.

“What?” he groaned, probably sounding a lot harsher than he intended.

“Daddy,” Izzy whined in just the right way that made Jim open his eyes instantly.

Through the dark he could faintly make out her flushed, tear stain cheeks. “What’s wrong, Iz?” he asked.

She whimpered.

“Isabelle, I can’t help if you don’t tell me.”

“Threw up.”

Jim sighed softly as he pushed himself up. “Where?”

“Bed.”

“Do you still feel like you’re going to?”

She started shaking her head, then nodded.

“Toilet. Now.” He gestured toward the master bathroom, making sure she made it to the toilet before going to her room. He tried not to vomit himself as he pulled the soiled bedding off and took it to the laundry room, shoving it haphazardly in the wash with some detergent. Not the best method but he was too tired to deal with it properly. He decided against remaking her bed, just grabbing a pillow and going to his room where he laid a blanket on the opposite side of his bed. He went to the kitchen getting a Tupperware bowl Izzy could use as a vomit bowl. “All done, sweetie?” he asked as he walked into the bathroom and knelt next to her.

She nodded and held her arms out to him. He stood and picked her up.

“Daddy,” she mumbled, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around the back of his neck. “I can sleep with you?”

“Yeah, you’re sleeping with me tonight,” he nodded as he carried her into the bedroom.

Once he had her settled on the bed, he got in and hoped that he would be able to fall back asleep quickly. As he closed his eyes, he felt Izzy move closer and curl up into his side. He smiled to himself, putting an arm around her.

***

_It’s probably just the flu. She’ll be fine._  Jim reminded himself as he pushed her sweaty hair off her forehead the next evening.

“Daddy, I feel yucky,” she whined.

“I know, Iz. You’ll be better soon,” he answered, then thought for a moment and asked, “Do you want to watch a movie with me?”

“I can stay up?” She perked up a little at the prospect.

“Yeah.”  _She’s going to fall asleep anyway._

So, fifteen minutes later, he sat on the couch with Izzy curled up next to him, watching some Disney movie he’d seen far too many times. Less than an hour into the movie, she was fast asleep.

~

Over the next few hours, her fever got worse, or at least went up a degree and a half and between her coughing in her sleep and the fever, and probably Jim’s sleep deprivation, he started freaking out.  _Just the flu. Just the flu. Just the…_

He was cut off by the sound of Izzy vomiting. When he looked over from where he sat feeding Elise, Izzy was sitting up with vomit all down the front of her shirt and on her lap.

“C’mon, let’s get you cleaned up,” he gestured for her to follow him to the bathroom. “Shirt and pants off. Can you wait till Elise is done eating?”

Izzy nodded. Thankfully, Elise was almost done with her bottle anyway. Jim set her in her crib and grabbed Izzy a clean pair of pajamas and underwear before heading back to the bathroom. He ran Izzy a bath, making the water on the cooler side. He sat on the floor helping make sure she got cleaned up properly. After the third time he had to have her get out so he could drain and rinse the vomit out of the bathtub, he settled for stripping down to his boxers and helping her shower.

Once she was clean, dried off, and dressed, he changed out of his wet boxers into a dry pair and a pair of sweatpants. He had her sit on the couch holding the Tupperware bowl with her back to him as he combed her hair. When he finished, he paused for a minute, making his decision. He was probably overreacting, but he’d lost just about all his ability to not with Ellie’s death. So, he helped Izzy get her shoes and jacket on and put a shirt and his own shoes and jacket on. Shoving his keys and wallet in his pockets the carried a now sleeping Elise and led Izzy out to the car.

He doesn’t exactly remember the drive to the hospital beyond just asking Izzy to aim for the bowl when she vomited.

“What is with parents bringing their kids in for every little  
thing,” a gruff voice muttered just close enough to the curtained off bed where Jim sat with Izzy and Elise asleep in her car seat next to him.

Jim stomach dropped. He knew he was overreacting. Izzy’s flu could wait until the next morning for her to see the pediatrician. But she was his little girl and he wanted to do everything he could to make her feel better. When the curtain was pulled back, he was too busy making sure Izzy’s still damp hair stayed out of her face as she vomited into the bowl the nurse had provided to look at who had walked in.

“Hello,” that same gruff voice said as he closed the curtain  
behind him. Except it was softer now. Gentler. “What brings you in?”

“Her dad overreacting to what’s probably just a flu,” Jim  
answered, still not looking at the doctor. Whether his decision not to was out of concern for Izzy and not wanting to take his eyes off her for a second or if it was because he was too scared to make eye contact with the doctor who he had just overheard complaining about parents like him, Jim wasn’t sure.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” the doctor asked.

“Izzy,” she answered.

“I’m Dr. McCoy,” he smiled at her as she went into a coughing fit. “That sounds pretty nasty, Izzy. How long have you been coughing like that?” He phrased it as if he was speaking to her despite the fact he was asking Jim.

“Um, a day. I think,” Jim answered furrowing his eyebrows. All the days blurred together half the time.

“Have you been drinking lots of water?”

“It’s mostly juice. I realize the sugar content of that stuff is  
awful for her and I try to dilute it a bit, but I can’t too much and…”

“Mr.…” Dr. McCoy glanced at Izzy’s chart before continuing, “Kirk, I assume. She’s been drinking plenty of fluids, yes?”

Jim nodded.

“Good. That’s good.” Jim could feel the doctor’s gaze on him before Dr. McCoy looked back at Izzy. “How about food? You been eating, Izzy?”

She nodded sniffling. Dr. McCoy held out a box of tissues and Jim took one, helping her blow her nose.

“What’ve you been eating?” Dr. McCoy asked.

“Daddy makes pancakes.”

“And soup and oatmeal and crackers,” Jim filled in quickly.

“Can you lean forward for me, sweetheart, so I can listen to your breathing?” Dr. McCoy asked as he tried to warm up his stethoscope as much as possible before gently sliding it under her shirt, pressing it to her back. “Deep breath for me…Good girl.” He straightened up after a minute letting her lay back against the pillow.

About halfway through the exam, Elise started crying and Jim took her out of the car seat, looking around for the diaper bag, only realizing now he’d forgotten it.

“Diaper or hungry?” Dr. McCoy asked without missing a beat.

“Diaper. She just ate,” Jim answered trying desperately to calm her down and not hearing when the doctor walked away, or when he returned and set a few things down on the bed.

“You should be able to make do with that,” Dr. McCoy said.

Jim looked over, looking at the doctor properly for the first  
time, then down at the diaper, baby wipe, and what was more than likely in reality a pee pad.

“Bathroom’s just past the nurses’ station.”

Jim blinked a few times and cracked a tired smile, then looked at Izzy. “I’ll be right back. Be good for Dr. McCoy.” With that, he stood and walked toward the bathroom. When he returned, the doctor had his hand on her back, rubbing it softly as she coughed.

“Thatta girl,” Dr. McCoy wiped the bit of mucus off Izzy’s lip gently with a tissue.

“Not causing too much havoc, Iz?” Jim smiled.

“You’ve been a perfect angel, haven’t you?” the doctor smiled at her giving her a playful wink.

Izzy nodded tiredly.

Jim looked back at Dr. McCoy. “She’s fine, isn’t she? It really is just the stomach flu.”

“Yes. Plenty of fluids and rest, and Children’s Tylenol and she should be back to her old self in no time,” Dr. McCoy nodded. “Has their mom been sick too?”

Jim flinched at the mention of Ellie. “Uh, no,” he stammered a little, looking down at Elise as he put her back in her car seat.

“Daddy says Mommy’s in heaven now,” Izzy said.

“That she is,” Jim nodded, shooting her a slightly forced smile.

“How old is…” Dr. McCoy gestured toward the car seat.

“Elise. Four months.”

“And their mom?”

“Four months ago. And, how is this relevant?”

“You need to sleep.”

“Is Izzy ok?”

“Yes, you can sign the papers at the front desk.” Then Dr. McCoy walked away.

***

Three days later

“Pick which cereal you want, Izzy,” Jim said trying to push the shopping cart and hold the bottle to feed Elise and keep an eye on Izzy to make sure she didn’t run too far ahead of him. “Cocoa Puffs again?” He teased tiredly as she tried to pull the box off the shelf. “Izzy, don’t climb the shelves.”

“I got it, Daddy,” she insisted right before her foot slipped and she scraped her hand against the corner of one of the shelves.

By the time Jim got to her, she was sitting on the floor looking at the barely bleeding scrape on her palm crying. He pulled the bottle from Elise’s mouth, and prayed that she wouldn’t start wailing. He already had one crying child. He really didn’t need two. He kept one hand on the shopping cart as he knelt down to Izzy’s level. “Lemme see, sweetie,” he held out his free hand.

She didn’t hear him through her cries. He stood, moving the shopping cart out of the middle of the aisle and put Elise in the baby carrier so she was against his chest, before kneeling back down next to Izzy.

“Izzy, can I see your hand?”

She shook her head. He could see that the cut wasn’t that bad. It was mostly just reddened with a little bit of blood.

“What color band aid do you want?”  _It’s way too early for this. It’s three in the afternoon and it’s way too early. I should really look into a nanny. Or help. God, I need help._

“Purple,” she whimpered.

He got up and got the small first-aid kit out of the diaper bag. “I’m out of purple. Second choice.”

“I want purple.”

“Izzy, we’ve used up all the purple band-aids. We have pink and green and purple polka dotted ones. We don’t have any more solid purple.”

“I want purple.”

“Pink, green, or polka dots. Pick one or I’ll pick for you.”

She pouted and looked over at him, still crying. “Dots,” she mumbled.

“Good choice,” he smiled at her as he sat back down. Once her scrape was cleaned and bandaged, he stood, putting Elise back in the shopping cart.

Izzy held her arms up toward Jim wordlessly.

“Yes?” He grabbed a box of Cocoa Puffs off the shelf and put them in the cart.

“Pick me up?”

“What’s the word?”

“Please.”

He nodded bending down and picking her up. She put her arms around the back of his neck and her legs around his waist, clinging tightly. Pushing the shopping cart got more difficult trying to support Izzy’s weight in his arms and push the cart at the same time. After a few minutes, he was going to suggest Izzy try walking alongside the cart, or even just sit in the cart, but then he felt her eyelashes brushing against his neck as she blinked tiredly.

“We’re almost done,” he murmured as she squirmed, nestling her face in his neck.

He was trying to open one of the freezer doors but between Izzy and keeping a close eye on the shopping cart where Elise now lay asleep, he was struggling.

“Here,” a familiar voice said reaching past Jim and opening the door.

“Thank you,” he nodded holding the door open with one hip and getting the bags of frozen vegetables out of the freezer.

“You look like you could use a nap,” the other man said.

Jim grunted softly in return as he turned to face the man. The doctor from the other night.

“Well, I’ll just hope I get one when we get home.” Izzy was like a dead weight in his arms.

“If you get home,” the doctor answered as Jim began to walk away.

Jim froze and turned around, placing one hand on Elise and adjusting his hold on Izzy. “I get that you’re a doctor and you probably look at everyone and think they’re suffering or whatever, but I’m fine. Tired, but fine. I don’t need some childless doctor who criticized me bringing my child into the ER telling me how to live my life as a single dad. You don’t know the situation. You don’t know what it’s like. You know what was said and what was in Izzy’s chart.” He turned around and started walking away again as a dark haired seven-year-old ran past him.

“Daddy, can we get ice cream?” she asked.

“We have ice cream at home,” the doctor answered and Jim was almost frozen on the spot again.

But he walked away.

***

He kept running into the doctor at the grocery store, when Elise had a doctor’s appointment.

“Are you stalking me or something? Because I never saw you around here until after Izzy got sick,” Jim said after the tenth time he ran into Dr. McCoy at the grocery store.

“Probably because Jo and I are new to Riverside,” Dr. McCoy answered, “That was only my third shift at the hospital.”

“You seemed pretty well settled in.” Jim picked Elise up, trying to soothe her while keeping an eye on Izzy running around.

“Twelve hour shifts can help you do that.”

“Izzy, we have enough goldfish crackers at home,” Jim said suddenly as she pulled a bag of crackers off the shelf.

“But these ones are pink,” she whined.

“And they taste the same.”

“But I want pink.”

“No.”

“I want pink fishies, Daddy.”

“Izzy, we can get pink fishies next time. Until then, we have regular ones at home,” Jim said desperately trying to avoid a temper tantrum when he already had a wailing baby in his arms.

“I want pink fishies,” she protested stomping her foot.

Jim closed his eyes for a moment, just hoping that when he opened them this would all be a dream. It wasn’t. “Isabelle, do you need a time-out when we get home?”

The suggestion just made things worse and the waterworks started. Jim wanted to cry too as he stared at Izzy throwing a fit and stood frozen with Elise crying in his arms.

Then Dr. McCoy knelt down next to Izzy who had just about thrown herself onto the floor. He didn’t say a word. When she stopped for a moment to catch her breath, he spoke. “Hey, do you remember what you promised me in the hospital?” He asked her gently.

She didn’t answer for another few minutes, and when she did, she just shook her head and started crying again.

“That you would be good for your mama and daddy,” he said as she took a few gasping breaths.

“I want pink fishies,” she cried.

“But your daddy said no.”

“But I want pink fishies.”

He thought for a moment then asked, “Is throwing a fit being good for your daddy?”

She looked at Dr. McCoy and frowned, then shook her head.

“And you promised me that you would be good for him.”

“But pink fishies.”

“Did you hear when he said that you can get some when you when you finish the ones you have?”

“But I want them now.”

“We can’t always get what we want.”

She sniffled, still frowning.

“Can you promise me that you’ll be good for your daddy?”

She nodded.

“Good girl,” he smiled at her as he stood, holding a hand out for her to take and gently pulled her up onto her feet. “Can you say sorry to your daddy?” He asked as he dropped her hand.

Izzy walked over to Jim and looked up at him. “Sorry, Daddy.”

“Thank you, Izzy,” Jim smiled at her bouncing a now calm Elise in his arms. He looked over at the doctor. “And thank you, Dr. McCoy. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. Jo had a lot of tantrums when she was little. Less now, thankfully.” The doctor paused then said, “And it’s Leonard. I’m not at work.”

“Jim.”

“Well, Jim, I suppose you need to finish your shopping. I’ll probably see you around. God knows I already do,” Leonard said before turning to his shopping cart, taking two steps, then stopping and turning back around. “And take care of yourself. Take some time for yourself. You clearly need it.”

“Would if I could.”

Leonard hesitated. “Give me a minute.” He hurried off, leaving his cart behind, then returned a few minutes later to a very confused Jim who had just settled Elise back in her car seat. “First number is the babysitter I use with Jo when I work. Her name’s Amelia. The second number’s mine…if you ever need anything.” He handed the paper to Jim then walked away without another word.

Jim stared at the two numbers for a minute before shoving the paper in his pocket, taking Izzy’s hand, and finishing his grocery shopping.

***

For the next four days, Jim would occasionally look at the paper, then shake his head.  _I can’t leave them with a babysitter. Even for a few hours._  Then he found himself sitting on the couch with his head in his hands as Izzy threw a fit over god knows what–Jim couldn’t remember.  _I can’t do this._

So, he called Amelia, asking her to come over the next day so he could meet her.

“Sorry about the mess,” he said as he showed her to the kitchen table, occasionally stepping over a toy Izzy had left on the floor.

“I’ve seen worse,” Amelia assured him. “And Leonard mentioned that you’re a single dad, like him.”

“Yes, unfortunately.”

“I’m very sorry about your loss.”

“Thank you,” Jim answered before promptly changing the subject.

***

Having a babysitter was useful. Though, Jim did feel a little guilty he left Izzy with her. He could get some work done in his office without having to check on Elise or Izzy every few minutes. Grocery shopping was easier too, and he started going at different times. Times when Leonard wasn’t doing his own shopping. And Jim realized he missed the short conversations they would have.

One night he laid in bed staring at the ceiling as he toyed with the piece of paper in his hands after imputing the number in his phone. He’d called one of the numbers, but the second one–Leonard’s–he couldn’t bring himself to call. What was he supposed to say anyway? Leonard had told him to call if he needed anything. How was he supposed to say that he missed the grumpy southerner?

Then hell broke loose the next morning. Amelia was busy and couldn’t keep an eye on the girls that day. Elise was having her first experience with solid food, and as could be expected, was making a mess. Izzy was having a melt down because…well, Jim can’t remember. It started out as about cereal but now. Now, he’s not sure. And Jim. Jim wanted to cry. He wanted to go back to bed. But he was covered in some combination of pureed bananas, peaches, apples, plums while the six-month-old in front of him was even worse off and was going to need a bath after this and the three-year-old sitting on the bottom step was screaming and crying all while he tried to talk to his, thankfully understanding, boss on the phone.

_I need help._

Once the call with his boss was over, he made another call.

“Dr. Leonard McCoy, how may I help you?” Leonard said automatically when he answered his phone. “Whoa, what’s going on there?”

“It’s Jim. Jim Kirk. You probably don’t remember me. You gave me a babysitter’s number, Amelia, and you gave me yours and said to call if I needed anything. I–I need help,” Jim rambled.

“I remember you. It’s not every day I give my number to some man in the middle of the grocery store. What do you need help with?” the doctor answered calmly.

“I, um, I don’t know.”

“Do you need to talk to someone? Or have someone come help watch your girls?”

Jim spooned some more puréed peaches into Elise’s mouth and received a smear of what he assumed was plum on his arm. “I’d say someone to help watch Izzy and Elise, but the house is a mess and no one should have to see that.”

“Do you want to meet up somewhere? The park?”

“I’m covered in baby food, and so is Elise, and you can hear Izzy screaming. We’re in no state to go anywhere.”

“Well, my other offer is I can come by, but I figured you might not want that.”

Jim hesitated, then answered, “There’s a park about a block from the grocery store. We can probably manage to meet you there at two. Assuming that works for you. It’s fine if…”

“It works. I’ll see you then. Anything else?”

“No, thank you by the way.”

“Not a problem.”

~

At two o’clock, Jim was watching as Izzy ran to the playground, also scanning the park hopeful to see the doctor. His shoulders slumped a little when he couldn’t find Leonard, pushing the stroller in which Elise was a sleep to a bench and sitting down. He went between glancing at Elise and watching Izzy.

“Sorry I’m late. Figured you could use some caffeine,” a familiar southern drawl came from behind him after about fifteen minutes as Leonard walked around the bench and sat down. “I needed some too, if we’re gonna be honest.”

Jim stared at the coffee Leonard was holding out to him.

“I brought cream and sugar if you want. And you don’t have to take the coffee if you don’t want. Strange man you barely know buying you coffee. I probably should’ve thought this through a little more beforehand.”

“No, thank you. I’m just surprised you showed up. And I’ll take whatever cream and sugar you have.” Jim took the coffee, pulling off the lid and stirring in the cream and sugar Leonard handed him.

“I said I was going out meet you here. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because I’m some run-down widower single father who you met when I was overreacting about a flu.”

“Hey, you didn’t see me three years ago. Jo was a little terror. Still is sometimes.”

“Divorce?” Jim asked staring straight ahead at the playground.

“More or less. She walked out. Decided that she didn’t want to be a wife and mom anymore, packed up her things, and left. I received signed divorce papers a few weeks later.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It was bound to happen. The divorce, that is. Guess she figured walking out was easier.”

“I’m still sorry.”

“Jim, if either one of us is going to be sorry, it should be me. I had my wife walk out and got left with a four-year-old and had family nearby. You lost your wife and were left with a newborn and three-year-old, and, presumably, no family nearby.”

“I have friends you know.”

Leonard laughed. “Yeah, I assumed you would.”

“They’re just all busy or not great with kids.”

“So you need a friend who’s not so busy or good with kids?”

“Pretty much,” Jim snorted.

“Well, if it’s not too forward of me, I’m occasionally not too busy and based on how my own child is thriving, am fairly good with kids.”

Jim laughed.

***

Nine months later

Leonard started hanging around a lot more. Sometimes he and Joanna would come for dinner, or Jim would take Izzy and Elise and they’d have dinner at Leonard’s house. Joanna started staying the night when Leonard was on call or was working the night shift. Leonard would take Izzy for the afternoon so Jim could get some work done with only one child to have to tend to, and once Elise was closer to a year old, she would go too. Jim picked Joanna up from school on a few occasions.

One Saturday night, Jim was getting some work done while Leonard kept the girls occupied. Well, he was trying. Every few minutes he would hear Izzy or Joanna shriek and laugh and then Leonard’s laugh, breaking any concentration he had going. Eventually, he gave up, and headed out to the living room where Leonard was playfully wrestling with Izzy and Joanna while Elise watched from her playpen clearly amused. Jim watched from the doorway, smiling.

“Daddy!” Izzy said when she noticed him.

“Izzy!” he answered playfully.

“Hey, that wasn’t fair,” Leonard teased as Joanna climbed on top of him “pinning” him down.

“You weren’t paying attention,” Joanna shrugged before squealing and squirming away when Leonard started tickling her.

“Can Jo-Jo stay over?” Izzy asked looking at Jim pleadingly.

“Ask her daddy. I’m fine with it,” Jim nodded.

“Uncle Len, can Jo-Jo stay over?” Izzy asked smiling sweetly at Leonard.

“I dunno, you want to, Jo?” Leonard asked poking one of Joanna’s sides playfully.

Joanna nodded.

“Do you still have a pair of pajamas here?” Jim asked as he picked up Elise who was reaching toward him saying “up.”

“Yes,” Joanna nodded.

“Then go get ready for bed, and then  _maybe_  we can watch a movie.”

They didn’t need to be told twice. Joanna and Izzy were running out of the room and up the stairs.

“Do you want to stay for the movie or do you have an early shift tomorrow?” Jim asked Leonard as the doctor sat up.

“I’m off for two days,” Leonard answered.

“So, you’re going to stay?” Jim settled Elise on his hip.

“Yeah, if you’re fine with it. Don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

“I’d let you know if you were.”

~

An hour and a half later, Jim and Leonard were sitting on the couch, Jim with Elise mostly asleep in his arms, and Joanna and Izzy were sprawled on the floor watching the movie. During a quieter scene, Jim noticed the rain pounding on the roof.

When the movie ended twenty minutes later, Leonard stood. “I suppose I should head out now.”

“In this weather?” Jim said appalled by the suggestion.

“I’ll be fine.”

“No, you can sleep here.”

“You’re not going to let me leave, are you?”

“Nope.” Jim adjusted Elise in his arms before standing. “Bed,” he said to Joanna and Izzy, gesturing toward the stairs with his head. “Do you want to borrow a pair of sweatpants?” he asked Leonard.

“If you don’t mind.”

“Let me put Elise to bed then I’ll grab you a pair. I think you remember where the linen cabinet is. You can grab some blankets out of there. A bed pulls out of the couch.” Jim turned around and headed upstairs. He returned a few minutes later holding a pair of pajama pants, freezing suddenly when he saw Leonard bending over the sofa bed, straightening out the sheets. Shirtless. He stared for probably a few moments too long before clearing his throat. “These should fit,” he said holding the pants out to Leonard.

“Thank you,” Leonard smiled taking them, heading to the bathroom. When he walked out Jim was tidying up in the kitchen. “Goodnight.”

Jim looked up and instantly regretted it. “Goodnight,” he forced a smile.

Half an hour later, as Jim laid wide awake in bed, his mind kept drifting back to Leonard.  _Lean muscle. No. Tanned skin. No. Chest hair. No. Pajama pants. My pajama pants. God, my pajama pants low on his hips. No, no, no. You can’t screw this up. He has an ex-wife. He’s probably straight. He’s commented on guys before. Maybe not completely straight. But not me. He doesn’t like me. He likes me as a friend. Nothing more._

Jim groaned as he realized he had unconsciously slipped his hand into his boxers.  _Just this once. Just to get rid of it._  He pushed his underwear down and wrapped his hand around his dick, closing his eyes as he stroked himself.  _I wonder what his hand would feel like. And that freckle on his collarbone. I want to kiss it. I wonder if his skin is salty. Lips probably taste like bourbon or that spearmint gum he seems to perpetually be chewing. Either way, he would taste good. And that stubble…_

Jim bit down on his free hand to keep from making too much noise as he came. He stared up at the ceiling, removing his teeth from his hand and his hand from his pants, panting.  _I am so screwed._

***

When he woke up the next morning he heard giggling coming from the kitchen. He dragged himself out of bed, fearing the disaster he was going to find. He pulled on a pair of pants and a t-shirt and grabbed the baby monitor before heading down to the kitchen. He stopped short when he reached the doorway. Elise was holding herself up on her feet by Leonard’s pant leg. Joanna was showing Izzy how to stir the pancake batter without over mixing it while Leonard stood at the stove cooking bacon. Fortunately for Jim’s own sanity, and Leonard’s safety, the doctor had put his t-shirt back on.

“Look who’s risen from the dead,” Leonard smiled at Jim.

“Good morning. You didn’t have to cook,” Jim answered.

“The girls were hungry and you were still asleep,” Leonard shrugged as he took the strips of bacon out of the pan and Joanna carried the bowl of pancake batter over to him.

“There’s cereal in the cabinet.”

“You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to.”

“No, I appreciate it. I’m just surprised.” Jim picked up Elise when she plopped down and reached up toward him.

“You let me stay the night. Figured I should repay the favor.”

“Daddy’s good at making pancakes,” Joanna said.

“Oh, is he?” Jim asked, “I’m pretty good at it too.”

“Daddy’s better,” she answered plainly.

Jim bit back a laugh as he walked over to the kitchen table where Izzy sat. “Did you sleep last night?” he asked her.

Izzy nodded. He smiled and kissed her forehead.

“Do you need any help?” he asked Leonard right before feeling a sticky and slobbery hand on his cheek.

“No, I’ve got it. And the best assistant in the world,” Leonard answered giving Joanna a playful wink. “Besides, I think someone is upset with the lack of attention.”

Elise had moved her hand from Jim’s cheek to right over his mouth.

“Hello to you too,” Jim laughed pulling her hand from his mouth, giving it a small kiss before setting it on his shirt and kissing her cheek.

***

Ok, maybe Leonard’s pancakes were better than Jim’s, not that Jim would ever admit it. Just like how he wouldn’t admit how he had started noticing little things about Leonard. Like the way his eyes lit up when Joanna laughed and how he was picky about his bourbon and how precise his movements were when he cooked. Most of all, Jim began to notice just how much Leonard would touch him. Hands lingering for a few unnecessary seconds when he would hand Jim something or when they passed Elise between them. Hand brushing against Jim’s when they both reached for something.

And Leonard started staying over more. Sleepovers that were once just Joanna staying the night turned into Joanna and Leonard staying the night. Jim began to look forward to Izzy asking if Joanna could sleep over because half the time it meant he could ask if Leonard wanted to stay as well.

The night before Elise’s second birthday, Jim had friends and family over to celebrate.

“Jim, you didn’t tell me your boyfriend’s a surgeon,” Jim’s cousin whispered to him as he put the finishing touches on Elise’s birthday cake.

“What?” He looked over at her like she’d lost her mind.

“Your boyfriend. That fine piece of southern ass. That man sitting on the floor with your two-year-old. Has fantastic hands…”

“I know  _who_  you’re referring to. I just don’t know where you got the idea that he’s my boyfriend.”

“Do you mean to tell me that you look at him with all that love and adoration but you’re not dating him?”

“We’re friends.” Jim stuck the 2 candle in the cake before picking it up and taking it to the table.

~

“Do you need help cleaning up?” Leonard asked Jim after the last person, besides him and Joanna, left.

“No, I can deal with it in the morning.”

Leonard gave him a disbelieving look.

“It’s fine. It’ll get dealt with.”

“Two years tomorrow.”

Jim turned his back and started packaging up the leftover cake. “Do you want to take some home?” He gestured toward the cake.

“Jim, I can stay and help clean up. You’re not going to want to in the morning.”

“Can you take the girls tomorrow?” Jim asked staring blankly at the cake.

“Yeah, whatever you need.”

“If you want to help clean, go ahead.”

Jim could feel the way Leonard stared at him before walking off.

***

“Be good for Uncle Len,” Jim said as he knelt down in front of Elise and Izzy, forcing a smile before kissing each of their cheeks and standing up.

“Call if you need anything,” Leonard said before he walked out the front door with the two girls, and Joanna.

~~~

Jim spent the first half of the day trying to be productive, eventually resigning himself to not being able to think of anything but Ellie.  _Why did you have to go? Why did you decide you should be the one to die?_  He visited her grave that afternoon, bringing fresh flowers.

That evening he found himself getting progressively drunker and called Leonard.

“Hey,” Leonard said into the phone, sounding like he was playfully wrangling one of the girls in the background.

“Can you keep Elise and Izzy at your place for the night? I don’t think they should see me like this,” Jim answered softly, staring down at his third–no, fourth–glass of whiskey.

Leonard leaned away from the receiver and said, “Can you ladies give me a moment? Be good. Don’t break anything.” He walked to the other room, out of earshot of the girls but with them still in his view. “What’re you drinking?”

“Hm?”

“Beer, tequila, whiskey, vodka, some combination.”

“Whiskey.”

“How much have you had?”

“I think this is the fourth.”

“And how long have you been drinking?”

“Since five, maybe six.”

Leonard went silent.

“You’re judging me. I’m casting my kids off on you for the night so I can get drunk,” Jim muttered.

“If I can promise that they won’t see you, can I bring Izzy and Elise home?”

“And leave them with their drunk dad?”

“No. Let them sleep in their own beds and make sure their dad doesn’t drink too much.”

“Why?” Jim blurted out the question before he could think.

“No one should drink alone, and you shouldn’t be alone anyway right now.”

Jim thought for a moment, then asked, “And you promise they won’t see me?”

“I promise. And stop drinking until I get there. Have a glass of water.”

Jim nodded, then mumbled, “Ok.”

“And if you’re not already, wait in your room with the door closed. I’ll make sure they get to bed.”

“Ok.”

“We’ll be over in about half an hour. Do you need anything else?”

“No. Thank you.”

Leonard hesitated for a minute, then hung up. Forty-five minutes later, he was carrying an already half-asleep Elise into the house with Joanna and Izzy following. “Get ready for bed. I’ll come tuck you in soon.”

The two girls nodded, thankfully not putting up a fight. He put Elise to bed, then poked his head into Jim’s bedroom. “We’re here. I’m just going to make sure Jo and Izzy are settled in bed.”

Jim gave a grunt as a response and Leonard closed the door. It took almost twenty minutes before the doctor returned with a few water bottles, the bottle of whiskey, and two glasses.

“I hope you don’t mind sharing your booze,” Leonard smiled as he walked in, walking over to where Jim sat with his back against the bed looking out the window. He sat next to the blonde, who didn’t so much as twitch in acknowledgment. “Have you had some water?”

Jim nodded. Leonard poured him another drink and held it out to him. The blonde blinked a few times down at it, but took it without a word.

“You’re not gonna try and make me talk, right?” Jim asked after a few minutes.

“No. Unless it’s to check your level of drunkenness by if you’re slurring your words. Talk if you want to, or don’t talk at all. I’m just here to make sure you don’t do too much damage to your liver.” Leonard took a sip of his drink.

Jim snorted.

~

Jim’s sixth drink loosened his tongue. “She was perfect. Smart, funny, beautiful. Then something happened when she was in labor with Elise. We had to pick between her life or Elise’s. Ellie was insistent on Elise’s life.” Jim paused, looking down at the water bottle Leonard was having him drink and furrowing his eyebrows. “Does it make me a bad father to say I’d almost rather Ellie was alive instead?”

“I don’t think so. You don’t love Elise any less. You just lost your wife when you gained a daughter,” Leonard answered.

“We agreed to not find out the sex until the baby was born. Ellie was hoping for a boy. One of each, she said. We planned on having four kids so I kept telling her that if this one’s a girl we still have two more chances.” Jim blinked a few times, wiping his hand over his cheeks realizing he was crying. “Fuck, sorry,” he sniffled.

“I’m not judging.” Leonard put a hand on Jim’s back and the blonde almost instinctively leaned into the touch.

~

As the alcohol settled in, Jim stopped paying as much attention to the words coming out. He was leaning against Leonard with the brunette’s arm around his shoulders. “I like you,” Jim said suddenly.

“I know,” Leonard nodded.

“No, like, I  _like_  you.”

“I know,” Leonard repeated, clearly a little amused.

Jim looked Leonard in the eye, blinking tiredly, and drunkenly. “I like you. Like, ‘I want to kiss you’ kind of I like you.”

“I know, Jim.” Leonard was trying not to laugh. He felt a little sorry for the blonde. But at the same time, Jim trying to explain his feelings while drunk was a bit entertaining.

Jim cocked his head. “But…You’re here. And touching me. And I just told you I want to kiss you.”

Leonard let out a short laugh. “You’re not the only one looking at the person they’d like to kiss.”

Jim stared at Leonard in shock. “You…You want…to…to kiss…to kiss me?” he stammered.

“Have for a while.”

“I…”

“You don’t have to kiss me.”

Jim reached up slowly and traced a finger along Leonard’s jaw. “I, uh, I haven’t kissed someone since Ellie.” His gaze flickered between Leonard’s eyes and his lips.

“I haven’t kissed someone since Jocelyn. You have more recent experience than I do.” Leonard rested his free hand on Jim’s forearm. “And you don’t have to kiss me.”

“I want to. I just…I don’t know.”

“Do you want me to kiss you? I might be a little rusty on the initiation methods, but I can give it a shot.”

Jim hesitated, then nodded. Leonard moved his hand from Jim’s arm to the back of his neck before slowly leaning in, freezing a few inches away. Jim shut his eyes and closed the gap between their lips.

_Spearmint and bourbon._

Jim pulled away after a few moments and dropped his head to rest his forehead on Leonard’s shoulder, trying to hold back the tears stinging his eyes.

“You alright?” Leonard asked softly.

“Yeah. I think so,” Jim nodded.

“I’m not offended if you cry.”

“What makes you think I might cry?”

“You’re taking a lot of deep breaths. Not like you’re trying to catch your breath. Like you’re trying to keep yourself from crying.”

“I’m not going to ruin a first kiss by crying,” Jim mumbled.

“First kiss implies there may be more. What number of kiss is acceptable to ruin by crying?”

Jim lifted his head. “Well, no number.”

Leonard leaned in and pressed his lips briefly to Jim’s. “Ruin the second,” he whispered as he pulled back.

Jim shook his head and ended up with Leonard’s lips on his again.

“Third.”

“I’m not going to ruin a kiss by being pathetic and crying.”

Leonard pulled back and looked at Jim thoughtfully, then pulled the blonde tighter against him. He slowly carded his fingers through Jim’s hair, smiling to himself when the younger man let out an involuntary shiver. “Good or bad?”

“Good,” Jim whispered, starting to sniffle.

“You’ll feel better if you cry.”

Jim snorted.

“No, real science. You’ll feel better.”

Jim reached up and wiped the tear that escaped. He hesitated, then let out a long sigh and relaxed, letting the tears fall.

Leonard didn’t say a word for the next fifteen minutes. Or maybe he did and Jim couldn’t hear him. He just ran his fingers through Jim’s hair and rubbed his back encouragingly. “Feel better?” he asked.

“Feel tired,” Jim muttered.

“Finish the water, then you can go to bed.”

Jim nodded, pulling away and chugging the rest of the water bottle. Leonard helped him up and into the bed.

“I’ll be downstairs on the couch if you need anything,” Leonard said as he went to walk away, stopped by a hand on his arm.

“On that god awful mattress?” Jim asked, tired and amused.

“Well, I wasn’t planning on just sleeping on the couch. Gets a little cramped. Sofa bed’s a little better.”

“Or you could sleep here.”

Leonard sighed taking Jim’s hand off his arm and placing it on the bed. “Jim, we have three girls who are going to wonder why we’re sharing a bed if I sleep here.”

“So?”

“You’re drunk and we just went over the whole liking each other thing. I want to avoid any potential disasters like you realizing you don’t feel that way after Jo or Izzy finds us asleep in the same bed.”

Jim frowned, and reached over, grabbing one of the extra pillows and holding it out to Leonard. “At least have a proper pillow for once.”

“Thank you.” Leonard gave Jim’s hand a small squeeze as he took the pillow before leaving.

***

For about a week and a half, two of them managed to keep the fact they had started dating. Could they even use that word? They hadn’t exactly on a date. Unless you count coffee while watching their kids in the park a date.

Jo was the first to notice, or at least was the first to say something. Jim had picked her up from school because Leonard was in surgery.

They had just come to a stop light when she asked, “Are you and my dad dating?”

Jim choked on the water he had just taken a drink of. “What?”

“Are you my dad’s boyfriend?”

“Um…”

“I think you should be.”

Jim was grateful when the light changed and he could, hopefully, play his silence off as being focused on driving.

“Do you like him?”

“Yes.”

“Like, do you like- _like_  him?”

“Yes.”

“He likes you.”

“I know.”

“So, are you dating my dad?”

Jim let out a small sigh. “Yes.”

The squeal that Izzy let out in excitement made Jim wince.

“Izzy, remember how we talked about not making loud noises in small spaces? Cars are small spaces,” he said.

“Sorry, Daddy,” Izzy answered.

“Thank you, Izzy.”

~

As had become the norm over the past few months, Leonard and Joanna stayed for dinner.

“Daddy, Uncle Jim says he’s your boyfriend,” Joanna said with salad still in her mouth.

“Finish chewing. I can’t understand you with food in your mouth,” Leonard answered.

“Uncle Jim says he’s your boyfriend,” she repeated after swallowing.

Leonard looked at Jim who was cutting up Elise’s chicken into bitesize pieces. “Did he now?” Leonard said raising an eyebrow.

Jim froze for a moment, then continued.

“Yeah. I asked him and he said yes.” She stopped then looked at Leonard. “Did uncle Jim lie?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll have to talk to him about it. How was your day at school?” Leonard said, catching Jim’s gaze for a moment before the blonde looked away again.

Joanna launched into an animated retelling about something someone had said on the playground, before Izzy got her turn to talk about what happened at preschool that day.

~

Jim avoided situations where Leonard might be able to corner him and tell him that he shouldn’t have told Joanna that he was dating her dad. After putting Elise to bed, Leonard did just that. Almost. Jim was finishing cleaning up from dinner while Joanna and Izzy watched a movie when Leonard walked into the kitchen.

“So, boyfriend, huh?” Leonard said casually as he leaned against the counter.

“I know, I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to tell her. She was asking if I liked you and if you liked me and I was trying to drive and…” Jim said.

“You’re rambling.”

“I noticed. And, I’m serious. It was just me trying to get her to stop asking.”

“So you don’t want to be my boyfriend?”

“What?” Jim spun around to face Leonard.

“I said, so, you don’t want to be my boyfriend?”

“No, no, no, of course I do, I just…”

“You told her the truth then.” Leonard shrugged before opening up the pantry and looking for a snack.

“Wait, just like that?”

Leonard turned around holding a bag of goldfish crackers. “Just like what?”

“We’re calling each other ‘boyfriend’.”

“Did you expect something more romantic? Ask you if you wanted to go steady? If we were official? If we’re exclusive? I can put it on Facebook. I’m sure my great aunt will love seeing I have a boyfriend.”

Jim stared at him with an expression somewhere between appalled and offended. Leonard set the bag of goldfish down and stepped closer to Jim.

“Jim, I kind of started assuming you were my boyfriend, oh, a little over a week ago. It may have been a bit presumptive, but clearly, I wasn’t wrong. You’re my boyfriend. Plain and simple. I also assumed that you didn’t want to make a fuss over it. I can make a fuss over it if you’d like.”

“No, I was just surprised. I thought you were going to be upset I told her that.”

“I can act upset if you’d like, but I’d be lying and that sets a poor example for the smaller humans.”

Jim looked down and dried his hands before moving to stand toe to toe with Leonard. “It’s Friday, you know.”

“Yes.”

“And you worked last weekend.”

“That I did.”

“So, you’re not working this weekend.”

“Jim, get to the point.”

“I was thinking that since Jo typically sleeps over on Friday that this Friday her daddy could too.”

“I have slept here on multiple occasions.”

“I meant in my bed, not on the couch.”

“You sure you’re ok with it? Last time you offered you were drunk.”

“And I’m sober this time and still offering. You don’t have to.”

“I’ll need to borrow clothes.”

“Have I ever complained about that before?”

“No, was just warning you.” Leonard kissed Jim’s cheek before grabbing the bag of goldfish and heading back to the other room.

~

After all the girls were in bed, Jim laid on the couch with his head on Leonard’s lap as the doctor flipped through Netflix.

“Friends is always a good default,” Jim yawned.

Leonard queued up an episode before grabbing the bag of goldfish crackers off the side table next to him. “Fish?” he asked holding the bag within Jim’s line of sight.

“No thanks. I had fruit snacks earlier,” Jim answered offhandedly.

Leonard snorted as he shoved a few crackers in his mouth.

“Do you ever think about how domestic we already are?” Jim asked after a few minutes.

“We both have kids. We were already pretty damn domestic on our own.”

“I mean like together. Watching tv together and talking about goldfish crackers and fruit snacks.”

“Well, we’ve also been friends for a little over a year. We kind of got past some of the early get to know each other part of dating.” Leonard dusted the crumbs off his fingers and set the bag of crackers aside again.

“Doesn’t make it any less funny how domestic we’ve become so fast.” Jim settled his head more comfortably on Leonard’s lap and yawned again.

“Not gonna fall asleep on me, are you?”

“I’ll try not to.”

~

Jim did and was woken up two hours later by Leonard shaking him gently.

“Wake up. I’m not carrying you to your bed,” Leonard said.

“You’re no fun,” Jim mumbled as he got up, a little unsteady on his feet and losing his balance, falling onto Leonard’s lap.

“Up,” Leonard said shoving Jim back up on his feet.

Jim grumbled getting back to his feet and leading the way to the bedroom. He wordlessly tossed Leonard a pair of pajama pants before stripping down to his boxers.

“Which side of the bed is yours?” Leonard asked.

“Technically, the middle, but I gravitate more towards the side closest to the door.”

Once they were both settled in bed and Jim started dozing off, Leonard realized the blonde didn’t really gravitate toward one side of the bed as much as he gravitated toward the nearest warm body, which he just happened to be. As a result, Leonard ended up with Jim curled up against him, seemingly trying to press every inch of his body against the brunette’s. He opened his mouth to tell Jim to move off him, but then the younger man let out a small sigh of contentment and pressed his face between Leonard’s shoulder blades, and Leonard just couldn’t bring himself to push him away. So, he shifted around a little to get comfortable and settled into Jim’s tight hold on him.

***

Four years later

Jim was pacing the length of the waiting room impatient and nervous.

“Sit down. You’re making me anxious,” Leonard said when Jim was close to him again.

“What if…” Jim began biting his bottom lip as he looked at his husband of two years.

Leonard sighed, getting up and moving to stand in front of Jim. “They’re fine.” It was probably the hundredth time the sentiment had passed his lips in the past four hours.

“But…”

“Jim, Dr. White came in forty-five minutes ago and said everything’s going just as planned.”

“What about afterwards?”

Leonard wrapped his arms around the blonde and held him tight, pressing his lips to the side of Jim’s head. “Afterwards, we hope for the best,” he murmured.

“I don’t think I can do this again if this doesn’t work out, Bones,” Jim whispered, putting his arms around Leonard in return and leaning his head on the brunette’s shoulder.

“I know.” He rubbed Jim’s back.

Jim pulled back and looked at Leonard. “I’m serious this time. This is, what, the fourth time? And every time we got so close and then…”

“Jim, I know. I know you’re serious. And I’m pretty damn inclined to agree with you. I don’t know how much more of it  _I_ can take.”

Jim moved closer again and held onto Leonard as tightly as he dared. “You don’t work tomorrow, right?”

“No, I might be on call the day after. Depends on…” Leonard didn’t need to say the rest.

Jim nodded resting his chin on Leonard shoulder.

“Sit down with me,” Leonard said softly after a minute, pulling away from Jim and leading the blonde over to the empty chairs.

Jim leaned against Leonard, ignoring the way the arm rest dug into his side. He reached over and took Leonard’s left hand, looking over it. When Dr. White walked into the waiting room and over to the two of them, she didn’t even get the chance to greet them before Jim spoke.

“How are they?” Jim asked frantically.

“They’re both in perfect health,” she smiled.

“Can we see…” Leonard asked.

“He’s in a separate room.”

“She didn’t want to have him with her?” Jim asked trying to hide the spark of hope in his voice.

“She had a few minutes with him. Would you like see him?”

Leonard was on his feet and pulling Jim up, nodding. As they followed her down the hall, Jim slipped his fingers between Leonard’s, earning a small squeeze and smile. When the walked into the room where a nurse was fussing over a baby warmer, Jim swallowed the lump forming in his throat along with any hope he could feel forming. He refused to get his hopes up again.

“Who wants to hold him first?” the nurse asked.

“You,” Jim said looking at Leonard, letting go of his hand and moving aside so the nurse could place the tiny baby in the brunette’s arms.

The nurse moved to stand out of their way and Jim stood close enough to Leonard so he could look over his shoulder.

“Elliot?” Jim asked softly.

“Yeah, we’re sticking with Elliot,” Leonard nodded.

“You wanna come home with us, Elliot?”

The infant yawned and squirmed.

***

One morning a week later, Jim woke up around six-thirty to find Leonard’s side of the bed empty. And the crib in the corner. He dragged himself out of bed, stretching before heading downstairs. He expected to find Leonard in the kitchen starting breakfast.

“Bones, it’s Saturday and not even…” Jim trailed off when he saw Leonard sprawled on the couch snoring softly with Elliot asleep on his chest.

Leonard had both hands protectively over Elliot, a half-finished bottle of formula laid on the floor next to them. Jim couldn’t decide whether he wanted to risk waking Leonard up and take Elliot back up to his crib or just let the two of them sleep. Elliot squirmed and Leonard instinctively adjusted his hold. Jim sat on one of the steps and leaned against the banister watching the two of them, smiling.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://pinkamour1588.tumblr.com)


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